A few weeks ago, I recommitted myself to the #Chewsday Challenge. As discussed, my original plan was perhaps a little too ambitious, so this time around I decided to add in one challenge at a time, with the goal of slowly and realistically building toward overall healthier eating. The challenge for Week 1 was no booze on work nights. Week 2, I added in fruits and/or veggies with every meal. Week 3, I started only one serving of treat per day. And last week, I added in protein with every meal. I’ve now been at this for a solid month (more, if you count my first, half-hearted attempt), and I’m ready to let go of #Chewsday (and I’m sure you’re all tired of hearing about my eating challenges). So, I’ve done one final assessment of what worked, what didn’t, and how I plan to move forward.
How did it go?
- No booze on work nights has become pretty much habit. I may have a beer here or a glass of wine there, but on the whole, I’m not really drinking on week nights anymore, and that’s probably the way it will stay. I don’t need the extra calories and I don’t need any more trouble sleeping than I already have.
- Fruits or veggies with every meal will likely always be a challenge for me. I’m worlds better than I used to be, but I still struggle. I have a few more tricks in my arsenal, and I am eating some veggies that I used to despise, so I’ll take that as a win. I will do my best to continue to incorporate more fruits and veg, but I’m not going to beat myself up if I have a veggie-less meal.
- One serving of treat per day is easier some days than others. I really like having my bag of chocolate covered sunflower seeds in my desk. They’re a satisfying treat on multiple levels, and I feel like I don’t eat as many of them as I would other sweet options. On the whole, I think I’m more mindful about reaching for treats than I used to be, but this will definitely also always be a struggle.
- Protein with every meal is not as easy as I’d hoped. It requires planning ahead (is the chicken thawed? are the beans soaking?), which Ben and I are not always great at. However, on the days I followed through with this, I noticed that I ate less overall and definitely did less snacking, so I plan to at least attempt to keep up with this.
So that’s it for the #Chewsday Challenge, at least for me. I won’t be posting any more weekly updates or issuing any more challenges. But I will DEFINITELY continue to work on these four points above, because they are working for me. And of course, I’ll be doing periodic check-ins with my accountabilibuddies, cause they’re hilarious and awesome.
What’s your number one healthy eating tip/trick?